Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-12-25
REsCUEs ny FIRE LADDIEs.
Blnzos In n MOtf-street Tenement En-
danger Many Lives.


The outbreak Of fire last night in the
five story dOuble-tenement house Nos.
% and ~ Mott street was followed 10y
the widest excitement among the occu-
pants. In the rush from the human
hive several mothers in their anxiety to
saye'themselyes LETT their children be-
hind them to perish. Had it not been
for the prompt arrival of Hook and Lad
der No. | it is believed that some of the
abandoned youngsters would have been
suffocated to death.
While the members OF the district en-
cine companies were battling with the
flames which were raging fiercely on lie
ground floor the men Of Hook and Lad
der No. we're making heroic efforts to
save the children in the rooms or tleup-
per floor. At one of the windows on
the fourth floor o brave woman, who
would not desert her small children.
was screaming for help when Chief
nlcGill arrived upon the scene. She
had her baby in her arms. ana Was
abaut TO drop the infant down to the
crowd on The street, when, quick as a
wink, q ladder was raised. Firemen
Joseph johnson and John O'Neil ran up
and prevented the excited mother from
letting the little one fall to its death. In
the smoke-charged room three other chill
dren were discovered, and rs the flames
were still confined 20 the lower part Of
the house the woman aud her family
were escorted safely TO the ROOF. From
there they were handed down to other
fremcn on the top of four-stOry house
adjoining and thence taken down to the
street.
GALLANT FGRE1uEN.
While johnson and O'Neill were thus
engaged other members of Hook and
Ladder Company No. |, who had fol-
lowed them up the ladder, were doing
equally good work. They searched all
the apartments on the three upper floors
and assisted four or five small children
ont of the house and handed them over
to their parents. Policeman Benny ~
McMahon. OF the Eldridge-Street Sta
ton, known as the "Boy Cop, " helpeda
number Of frightened women down
the re-escapes in the rear. Mitchell T..
Grers, a fre-adjuster, who was on the
ground early, made his way up the
smoke-charged stairway to the roof, and
rendered what service he could to the
pauic-strickon denizens of the tenement.
lie caught four-year-Old aaron Levy
wandering on the coping and prevented
the boy from falling into the street. In
the excitement it was impossible 20 get
the names Of the women and children
rescued, and as soon as they were taken
down to the street they disappeared with
friends.
The fire was caused by an explosion
which occurred in the paint store on the
ground floor Tho store, occupied by
/ Moses Leyinksy, who was candidate
for the Assembly year ago, was filed
with inHammable material. The place
was on the right side OF the single en-
trance to the big teuemeut-hOusc. The
other half OF tue ground floor was rented
by ID. Levy as a beer-salOOn. Slmulta-
neously with the explosion flames shot
out OF the front aud rear Of the paint
store.
WILD RUSH FOR TILE FIRE-EsCAPES.
Dense clouds of smoke made their
wav into the hall and were carried up
to the roof. The smoke cutol the escape
OF the residents TO the street and there
was a wild rush for the fre-escapes and
roof. For ten minutes it seemed as II
the immense building would be con-
sumed. The flames from the oils were
intense, aud ran upthe frontof the house,
tapping the window-shuttors in their path
aud cracking the panes OF glass. Two
alarms were sent ont, and under the
orders of Assistant-C Chief tngineer Bon
nor the fire was finally subdued. The
flames, however, had made their way
into the apartments OF Mrs. Hamburg, a
widow, directly above the paint store,
and the rooms were Quilted before they
were extingllished. Leyinskys loss on
stock will exceed 81, 600, and the damage
to the premises will probably reach
$1,000. The loss on the furniture OF the
tenants by fire, smoke, and water IS less
than 81, 800.
FLAMES N A CABtNEr-FACioBY.
While Henry and Peter CRUDE were
looking over the books in the office OF